Back home, buried among his possessions, Gene Chandler has a photograph negative dating from 1962 that he says will never see the light of day.

The picture shows him in the style of an 18th-century nobleman, with leggings and tricorner hat.

“It made me look like Napoleon,” Chandler says.

Even now, more than 50 years after the picture was taken, he sounds annoyed.

In Chandler’s mind, that was not what the Duke of Earl should look like.

Instead, Chandler adopted a more modern, stylish appearance, with top hat, cape and cane. Since then, he has always worn that outfit when he performs his signature song, “The Duke of Earl.”

He will be wearing those accoutrements this Friday, June 6, when he plays the Mayo Performing Arts Center.

Chandler is one of four acts appearing under the title “Richard Nader’s Good Old Rock ’n’ Roll Show.” Also on the bill is Tommy Mara, who sang lead on the Crests’ song “16 Candles.”

Rounding out the show are Bill Haley’s Comets (“Rock Around the Clock”) and the Happenings (“See You in September”).

Chandler — who continued have hits into the disco era — says that he enjoys being part of such tours for two reasons. One is his affection for the other performers.

“There are still so many groups from the doo-wop days. They’re nice guys,” he says.

But the main reason why he still performs is the reaction of the audience.

“It’s the love of the fans,” he says. “It’s overwhelming.”

Chandler adds that the appeal isn’t limited to people who remember when his songs were first released. He says that after a recent concert, a 5-year-old girl came up to him and was able to sing all the words to “The Duke of Earl.”

“The Duke,” as Chandler is called, got his start in Chicago, where he was born in 1937. He and some friends started singing in high school.

“I wasn’t paying attention to rock ’n’ roll,” he says. “We tried to emulate the doo-wop we heard on the radio.”

After high school, Chandler became lead singer in the vocal group the Dukays. He served in the Army briefly and then returned to the Dukays in 1960.

Shortly after that, the musicians came up with a doo-wop song partly utilizing their group’s name. After being shopped to different labels, “The Duke of Earl” was released in 1962 with Chandler listed as the solo artist.

“The Duke of Earl” topped both the pop and R&B charts in 1962.

“It had a rhythm and a beat. It was something that was catchy,” Chandler says. “And I made it a showpiece in my stage act, with the top hat and the cape and the cane,” he adds.

For nearly two decades after “The Duke of Earl,” Chandler recorded songs that reached the pop and R&B charts. He recorded several tracks with Curtis Mayfield after Mayfield left the Impressions. Chandler also worked regularly as a producer.

“At the time, black record companies always tried to sell records that would cross over to a wider audience,” Chandler says. “Look at Michael Jackson and Ray Charles. They had hits in all the genres.”

Chandler says he has always tried to be aware of current trends in music.

“Our generation complains about rap and hip-hop,” he says. “In the beginning, I did, too. But then I realized I should give it a chance and (try) to understand what they’re saying.”

At the same time, Chandler says he appreciates the fact that newer performers have sampled or covered classics of the past, including some of his own.

“Younger kids know the trails we blazed, and they appreciate it.”

Despite the fact that he will turn 78 this year, Chandler says he has no plans for retirement.

“Nothing is anything without your health, and I have my health,” he says. “I’m still able to sing, and I can still move around the stage.”

“I’m still able to give the people what they want,” he says. “The day I can’t do that is the day I’ll go sit down somewhere.”